The Republican ads have been unsparing: Conor Lamb would be just one more congressional sheep — pun intended — behind that San Francisco liberal, Nancy Pelosi.

Now Lamb, the 33-year-old former Marine trying to pull an upset in a southwest Pennsylvania special election, is fighting back. Ahead of his March 13 matchup with Republican state lawmaker Rick Saccone, Lamb is disavowing Pelosi and making clear he’ll go his own way.

“My opponent wants you to believe the biggest issue of this campaign is Nancy Pelosi,” Lamb says in his latest television spot. Looking directly into the camera, Lamb adds, “It’s all a big lie.”

Lamb has pledged not to support the 77-year-old former speaker for another term as her party’s House leader and casts Saccone as the real lackey in the race, certain to cut Social Security and Medicare.